Kansas City, MO-KS metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a forklift operator make in Kansas City, MO?

In the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area, forklift operators earned a median of $47,350 a year ($22.76 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 6,290 of these jobs there. That is 7% below the $50,820 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $37,940 and $63,690; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Kansas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $38,383 in take-home pay.

Forklift operator pay in Kansas City, MO at a glance

Median salary

$47,350$22.76 per hour · $3,946 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$37,940$18.24/hr
25th percentile$43,520$20.92/hr
75th percentile$55,820$26.84/hr
90th percentile$63,690$30.62/hr
Jobs in this metro6,290Location quotient 1.15 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here7% belowAll-jobs median $50,820
Against Kansasabout the same asStatewide median $47,430
Against the U.S.2% aboveNational median $46,420

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Forklift operator salary in Kansas City, MO after taxes

$47,350
$15,000$95,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$47,350
Net 81%
Fed 7%
KS 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$38,383After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,199Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,476Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate18.9%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,502 / yr
Kansas state income tax$1,842 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,622 / yr

Forklift operators pay range in Kansas City, MO, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What forklift operators earned in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (KS)
10th percentile$18.24/hr$3,162$37,940$31,347
25th percentile$20.92/hr$3,627$43,520$35,520
MedianMedian$22.76/hr$3,946$47,350$38,383
75th percentile$26.84/hr$4,652$55,820$44,716
90th percentile$30.62/hr$5,308$63,690$50,601

Is $47,350 a good salary in Kansas City, MO?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for forklift operators next to both.

Median household income$83,460Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)92.57.5% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household56.7%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Forklift operator pay in Kansas City, MO: common questions

What is the median salary for forklift operators in Kansas City, MO-KS?

The BLS median annual wage for forklift operators in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area was $47,350 in May 2025, about $3,946 a month or $22.76 an hour. Statewide, the Kansas median for this job is $47,430, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for forklift operators in Kansas City, MO-KS?

The median hourly wage for forklift operators in Kansas City, MO-KS was $22.76 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $18.24 an hour and one in ten earned more than $30.62.

How many forklift operators work in Kansas City, MO-KS?

BLS estimated 6,290 jobs for forklift operators in the metro in May 2025, or 5.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.15 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for forklift operators in Kansas City, MO-KS?

BLS wage estimates for forklift operators in Kansas City, MO-KS run from $37,940 at the 10th percentile to $43,520 at the 25th, $55,820 at the 75th, and $63,690 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do forklift operators take home after taxes in Kansas City, MO-KS?

On a median gross salary of $47,350, an estimated $38,383 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,476 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Kansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $8,967 (an effective rate of 18.9%).

How much do forklift operators make per month in Kansas City, MO-KS?

On the median annual salary of $47,350, gross monthly income is $3,946. After federal, FICA, and Kansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,199 per month (or $1,476 every two weeks).

Is $47,350 a good salary in Kansas City, MO-KS?

At $47,350, the median salary for forklift operators is 56.7% of the Kansas City, MO-KS median household income ($83,460). It is 7% below the $50,820 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 92.5, so prices here run 7.5% below the U.S. average.